“There’s just been a lot of grief in my life. And the flip side of that, where I decide to sort of sit with it, is that it’s a choice. It’s a conscious choice for me to make something beautiful and joyful for people out of that.”
– Samin Nosrat opens up to Brené Brown about grief, gratitude, and connection.
Wellness Tip:
Prep Your Mind For Better Sleep
Is there anything better for your health than a solid night of ZZZs? (Probably not.)
To really get deep into dreamland, it helps to prep your mind before sleep. How? By creating a positive pre-sleep routine.
Try:
- Having tech-free time (bye-bye, blue light)
- Journaling to get any worries/thoughts out of your head
- Gratitude practice or writing down positive things that happened that day (you can also use the “Today’s Wins” section of Panda Planner)
- Using relaxation exercises (you can find a bunch here)
Clearing out your mind of stress and focusing on the day’s positives are two of our favorite ways to prepare for better sleep. Why not give one a shot today?
Productivity Tip:
Find Fun In Tedious Tasks
We all have tasks we hate (uh, dishes?). The absolute best way to tackle them? Make them fun!
For TED Ideas, Ingrid Fetell Lee lays down some ways to add joy to dreaded tasks, like:
- Time how long it takes to complete a task – then try to beat your record
- Pump up some energizing tunes
- Task-batch things you hate doing with things you enjoy (e.g. ironing + watching TV)
- Invent small, positive rituals (e.g. lighting a candle)
- Improve your environment by surrounding yourself with joyful things
Read more here and tell us: How do you make tasks fun..?
Routine Breakdown
Robin Sharma, Bestseller Author & Podcast Host
Leadership expert and author of The 5AM Club Robin Sharma says that a consistent morning routine is key to having more energetic days. He:
- Wakes up at 4:30am
- Does 30 minutes of meditation, prayer or visualization
- Does physical exercise to start the day sweating. This can be either weights, bodyweight exercises or yoga.
- Writes in his journal. This may include dream sheets, new focus, feelings and thankfulness practice.
Why it works:
- There are lots of reasons to wake up early. (Go with works for you, though!)
- Prayer and meditation have similar benefits including calming the nervous system.
- Working out is good (obviously). As is working out in the morning.
- Journaling has too many benefits to list (really!). Like we said above, better sleep is definitely one of them.
Like jeans and coffee, journaling is a highly personal thing. Everyone’s take is different.
Writing out your dreams, processing feelings, setting a daily focus and doing a gratitude practice are all great components to try (focus and gratitude are built into every Panda Planner for a reason).
How do you use journaling in your routine?
